


Perfect imperfection

by Tiffany_McPlasticbag



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-11-04 10:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10989150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiffany_McPlasticbag/pseuds/Tiffany_McPlasticbag
Summary: Your name is John Egbert and you're having a hella hard time in school. Teachers are giving you work like there is no tomorrow and you really regret signing for so many subjects. However, one day you meet the most beautiful girl you ever saw in a cafe and she lightens your world up. Will you have the guts to ask her out?





	1. Chapter 1

Your name is John Egbert and you're currently sitting in math class. You know you should probably be paying attention but your lack of sleep doesn’t really want you doing that. So you’re basically blankly staring at the teacher, not listening to a word she’s saying. You’re only a month in your last year at high school and you’re already half dead. Oh god, why can’t your school be selling coffee. It’s probably the only thing keeping you alive at this point. You don’t understand how you can have so much work so early in the semester. It’s like the teachers are trying to destroy their students. You’ll have to drop by that small cafe that’s on your way home. Their coffee isn’t the best you’ve tasted but it isn’t the worst either. And you should also get a job soon-  
Someone on your right nudges you and brings you back to reality. You look their direction and see Jade who’s staring you down. She’s trying to hint you something. Suddenly you are fully awake (or as much as you can be) and understand what she’s trying to hint. “-a first class student and I’m sure that he knows what I was saying today therefore will be able to recite it word to word.” You hear the teacher saying and you turn your head back to face her. She’s now standing right in front of your desk. “Am I right, Mr. Egbert?”  
“Uh...” You look up to meet her gaze but decide to look away. “I don’t think I could recite every word you said.”  
“Mr. Egbert. I am no fool. It was clearly visible that you weren’t paying attention for most of the class.”  
“That…is not true-“  
“Mr. Egbert.”  
You sigh. You would continue arguing with her but she doesn’t look like she’s going to back off and you don’t really have the energy for a fight. “Okay, I admit it, I wasn’t paying attention. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”  
“I sure hope so.” She says just as the bell rings. “Okay, class’ over. See you next week.” She says even though most of her students are already up and about to leave the room. She gives you one more look, then turns and walks back to her table. “You really should’ve been paying attention, John. She was saying some important things.” Jade says as she gets up and picks up her backpack.  
“Well sorry that I’m lacking sleep, and if you hadn’t noticed it’s my grades, not hers.” You snap but instantly regret it. You quickly continue. “I’m really sorry Jade, I’m just really tired and stressed and…” You close your eyes and let your head drop on the desk. “They can’t expect me to pay attention in every class.” You feel a hand on your back giving you a reassuring pat. “I know John, but you really shouldn’t space out in class. If I weren’t here who else would you ask for notes?”  
You straighten back up and look at her. Even though you talk with a lot of people, she has a point. “I’m really glad I get to be friends with you, Jade. Thanks.” You say while taking your bag and getting up. “What do you have next?” You ask as you’re leaving the classroom.  
“Geography. You?”  
“Biology. Then I’m free.”  
“Lucky. I still have two more classes after that. I guess I’ll see you later.” She says as she smiles. You think you saw worry in her eyes for a moment but you’re probably just seeing things.  
“Yeah, see you.” You give her a tired smile and separate ways with her so you can go to your next class. You don’t understand where she’s taking that energy from and why she hadn’t shared her resources with you yet. You take out your earphones, plug them in and click on the shuffle button. Suddenly you aren’t surrounded with unpleasant loudness of the school and you can at least kind of relax. You get to your next class only to find out that the teacher isn’t there yet and therefore the room is locked. You let your bag slide off your shoulder and watch it as it hits the ground. You sit next to it, music blasting in your ears. You close your eyes and rest your head against the wall behind you. Couple of minutes later you feel another body slide down to sit next to you. You open your eyes and look that way, only to see Karkat who looks about as tired as you are. You pause the music and take out your earphones. “Hi Karkat. How are you doing?”  
He looks at you as if you just asked him if chickens were pink. “What the fuck do you think, Egbert? I’ve barely slept the past week, so I can say that I’ve been doing great, thank you very much.” He says with familiar anger in his voice. You‘ve known that guy for over three years now and you know that there’s basically anything that can set him off. “Well, that makes two of us. Do you have anything after biology?”  
“No. Why.”  
“I was wondering if you want to go grab lunch or something. I’m starving.”  
“Yeah, sure. We can do that.” He goes silent for a moment. “Have you studied for the test yet?”  
“We are writing something?  
“Yes, Egbert, we will be writing a test.”  
“Fuck. When?”  
“In two days. Good fucking luck.”  
“You’ve already studied?”  
“Kind of. I don’t exactly have this thing called time.”  
“Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about."


	2. Chapter 2

The bell rings, indicating the end of the lesson. You pack your things and head over to Karkat, who's sitting three rows in front of you. This time you were really trying not to zone out thanks to your love for biology. You stop in front of Karkat's desk. He's still scribbling something down so you lean against the chair behind you and wait for him to finish. His notes are messy but there's still a system in them even though it's not visible on the first look. Karkat looks up, his brows furrow together. "Move." He says and waves his hand as if shooing you away. You push yourself away from the chair to move and sit on a desk that won't be blocking his view on the board. "You know, you can always just copy it from me." You say as you watch him write. He doesn't respond and pretty much looks like he hasn't even acknowledged you said something. You feel your phone vibrate in your pocket and you take it out. Looks like Dave's pestering you.

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 13:05 --

TG: sup john  
EB: hi dave  
EB: not much. besides how awesomely my schools going  
TG: that bad huh  
EB: yeah  
EB: what about you?  
TG: eh good i guess. i have a lot of work to do but i doubt its as much as you have

You notice Karkat getting up from his desk but leaving his stuff behind as he walks off. You follow him with your eyes and you can see that he's now talking to the teacher about something. Your phone vibrates in your hands again and you look back at the screen.

TG: its some weird shenanigans  
TG: i dont get why else you would have this much work. or youre just taking too many classes  
EB: i signed for as many classes as i thought i could handle  
EB: and its really not fair that you have so much less work than i do  
TG: not cool i know  
EB: it could also be because youre going to a different school in a different fucking state, dave  
TG: whatever  
TG: forget the bullshit about america being a free country with equal rights  
EB: dave  
TG: yeah yeah im off it

"Okay, done." Karkat says. You didn't even notice him walking back. He puts his bag on his desk and starts throwing stuff in.

EB: sorry, i have to go  
EB: im gonna go grab lunch with karkat  
TG: thats the kid from your biology class right  
TG: you should introduce us somewhen  
EB: maybe  
TG: why not  
EB: its been three years since i started talking to him and only now you want to meet him?  
TG: you have a point  
TG: ill pester you later  
TG: see ya  
EB: i cant believe you just admitted you were wrong  
EB: but okay  
EB: bye

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 13:09 --

You put your phone back into your pocket and hop off the desk you were sitting on. Karkat finishes packing his stuff and throws his bag over his shoulders. He doesn't even look at you to see if you're ready to go, he just heads towards the door. "What were you asking him?" You ask, following him.  
"About the test."  
"Aaaaaand?"  
"I got what I wanted."  
You stay silent for a moment. He's really grumpy today.  
"Sooo...where do you wanna go eat?" You ask.  
"I thought you had something in mind..."  
"Well...I don't."  
He sighs and then asks. "Fastfood or actual fucking food."  
"Let's grab something fastfood-ish. I would starve to death before they would bring us food in a restaurant."  
"Whatever you say, Egbert."  
"Aw c'mon Karkat. What's with the long face?"  
"Can you not."  
You step in front of him and put your hands on his shoulders with the obviously fake energy.  
"Look, I'm about as exhausted as you are but you know that negativity won't help you in life!"  
"You sound like fucking Harley." He says, brushing you off. "Be in front of the school in five minutes or I'm going by myself." He says. "Yeah, okay." You sigh, say a quick bye and head towards your locker, sometimes greeting a person you know. When you get there you put in couple of books you won't need and exchange them with others, grab your light blue hoodie that you left there in the morning and change your shoes. You lock your locker and head towards the main entrance where you're meeting with Karkat. You open the main door and for a moment you're blinded with the sun. It's pretty hot today. When your eyes adjust to the sudden brightness you are able to see that Karkat's already waiting for you. He's talking to some girl dressed mostly in black. The most noticeable things about her are her red shades and a white cane. You've seen her in school a couple of times but never caught her name. You have a suspicion that she's the blind friend Karkat was telling you about some time back.  
You run down the stairs and head towards them.  
"You couldn't have taken any longer, could you?" He asks when get to them. "Yeah, yeah, sorry. Not everyone is lightning fast." You grin a little. He rolls his eyes and turns to his friend. "Sorry Terezi, I have to go. I'm grabbing lunch with this idiot." He gestures towards you. You wonder why he did that when she obviously can't see. "I understand, Karkat," she says, leaving you shocked by her voice. You've never heard a voice just like hers before. And even though it fits her looks it's still kind of strange. "I guess, I'll see you later." She gives him a smile and then heads towards the school building.  
"Yeah, later." Karkat says. He looks at you, his eyes meeting yours for a moment but then he turns away and gestures you to follow him. You take a couple of seconds before you do as he asks you to, your eyes wandering the way Terezi went. You can now see her talking with some other people.  
"Terezi seems nice." You say when you catch up.  
"Yeah....I guess."  
"Is she the blind friend you were telling me about some time back?"  
"Yes. You could've figured that out."  
"I know, just checking. Hell, how should I know how many blind girls you know?" You say, your eyes wandering towards Karkat's face. He looks more annoyed than before.  
"She's kind of a weirdo, though." He says after some time.  
"How so?"  
He takes his time to respond, thinking about what to say but then just shakes his head. "Just trust me on this."  
Neither of you say anything for a moment but then you continue.  
"She's pretty, though."  
"I guess."  
"You seemed happy when talking to her but when I showed up you went to being grumpy again."  
He shoots you a deadly look, anger sparkling in his eyes.  
"What. It's true."  
"You say it like you've never had a bad day."  
"Every day is bad day for you, Karkat."  
"Like you are over-fucking-flowing with happiness."  
"You've got a point." You pause for a moment but then ask the question that's on your mind. "Do you like her?"  
"...Egbert."  
"Hmm?"  
"Don't."  
"Is it that you don't wanna tell me or that you don't like her."  
"Egbert."  
"Like really, I-"  
"ARE YOU FUCKING RETARDED?"  
"Huh?"  
"WHY ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT HER WHEN YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT."  
"I...yeah. Sorry."  
"Just....let it be. Okay?" He's really desperate to get off the topic at this moment. You look his way and see that his face's all red. You quickly look away and then you fade into silence. You walk the rest of the way without talking. 


	3. Chapter 3

You enter the restaurant and stop Karkat before he can go to the counter. "Go grab us a place. I'll get the food. What do you want?"  
"Get me two cheeseburgers and a small coke."  
"Yeah, okay."  
He looks around the restaurant and then heads to a place he probably spotted free. You wait in the small line, consisting of around five people. When you get to the cashier you order yours and Karkat's food. You wait for it, pay and then look around trying to find Karkat. You can't see him anywhere so you walk between the tables, looking around, trying to spot him. There are booths on the sides of the restaurant and in the middle there are tables for four and two. You walk a bit further and then you glimpse a grey shirt and the familiar dark messy hair. He's sitting in a booth all the way on the end of the restaurant. As you're getting closer you notice that his head is resting against the wall and he looks asleep. You put down the tray you are holding and shake him a little. He mumbles something in disagreement from sleep but other than that he doesn't show any signs of waking up. "Come ooon Karkaaaaat. I know you're tired, and believe me, I am too but you'll sleep when you get home." You say and shake him once more. "How the fuck did you even fall asleep so fast?" You murmur while shaking your head.  
After couple more tries you finally feel him starting to move on his own, indicating that he's waking up. He opens his eyes and yawns.  
"I fell asleep, didn't I?" He asks, rubbing his eyes, his voice still kind of sleepy.  
"A little." You say, a bit of amusement coloring your voice. You sit down, take your food and start unwrapping it. After a moment he does the same and for some time you eat in silence. You're still thinking about what happened on your way here. You are pretty sure that he likes her but for some reason doesn't want to admit it. "How much do I owe you?" Karkat suddenly asks and brings you back to reality.  
"It's on me." You say quickly. "Take that as an apology for today."  
He gives you a questioning look.  
"Just....I didn't want to make you angry. I knew you were already having a kind of bad day and yet I made you angry by asking dumb questions."  
"Don't worry about it." He says in a low voice after a while. He pauses again and for a moment you both eat in silence again. "I'll show you this one cafe I know, okay? So you won't have to take the fucking hellspawn from the stupid one on your way home."  
"It's not that bad." You say, trying to defend it, but you still appreciate the offer.  
"Egbert." He says, staring you down, his face dead serious. "I've had the coffee once and I'll never touch anything like that again. That's how bad that is. Your taste in coffee is about as bad as your taste in movies. This cafe I know has a lot better coffee. It's like fucking heaven compared to that crap."  
You're really glad he isn't mad at you anymore. "How would they still be open if the coffee was that bad?" You laugh.  
"Thanks to the people like you."  
"Okay then. Amaze me." You say, a grin widening on your face. He hesitates but then, to your surprise, returns the smile. It doesn't last for long. It's a small smile staying for a split second and by the way the tenseness, which you haven't noticed before, releases from his shoulders you can tell that he's really relieved you don't try to bring up Terezi again. "Oh trust me, it will amaze you. You will dream about the stupid coffee."  
You put the last piece of you food in your mouth and scrunch the wrapping. Karkat kind of sounded like Dave with the last sentence. You wonder if you really should introduce them somewhen, even after all those years. "John." You hear an annoyed voice saying. You blink and return to reality. "Listen to me when I'm talking to you, fucktart."  
"Sorry, I spaced out a little. Go on."  
"You keep spacing out. Either get sleep, coffee or fucking listen to what I'm saying." His tone accusing you of an apparent crime.  
"I was thinking."  
"Is the thing you were thinking about fucking worth me repeating what I just said?!"  
"I was thinking about a friend of mine. You sounded like him for a moment there."  
"That's nice. That means no, it doesn't have the value of making me repeat myself. I even fucking wouldn't if I didn't need your stupid notes from chemistry."  
You roll your eyes, taking your time with answering. "I didn't have chemistry today so I have them at home. You can drop by and take them if you need it urgently."  
"I don't need them urgently. Can you bring it tomorrow?"  
"Sure. What for?"  
"Studying." He says, his tone and face expression asking you if you seriously just asked that question.  
"Like...I get that but what exactly do you need. I can just take a picture of it. It's going to be quicker that way."  
He shrugs. "Do whatever you want Egbert. I seriously don't have enough fucks to give. I just need the notes." He says.  
You shake your head but then you continue talking, this time about your plans for the weeken, waiting for him to finish his food. After he scrunchs his wrapping and finishes his drink, you go empty the trail into the bin and head for the door. You open them for him, bowing a little, letting him walk out first. "M'lady." Karkat rolls his eyes but doesn't seem to consider your act worth getting angry about. You grin a little and let Karkat lead the way since he promised you this really amazing cafe you'll dream about.  
On your way there you talk about variety of different things, never really settling for one topic. You are heading kind of back to your school when Karkat suddenly turns slightly away from it, and goes a different direction. You're wondering if he's making it on purpose that you are going this strangely or if that's actually the fastest way there from the fast food restaurant.  
You haven't noticed Karkat stopping and you almost bump into him. In front of you is standing a cafe, set into a way bigger building. Karkat turns to face you, a smile actually playing on his lips. "First impression?" He asks. "You can definitely tell that it's going to be way better than the one you go to."  
You nod silently and go inside. The interior looks rather cozy. The walls are covered in grey bricks, most being occupied by bookshelves. There are light wooden tables accompanied by sofas covered in dark leather. The bar has a board behind it with menu written on it in white charcoal and there's jazz music playing in the background.  
You feel a hand on your shoulder and turn to face Karkat who has a victory grin stamped on his face. "Amazed yet? I told you you'll love it here."  
"This is....so much better." You say.  
"Wow, that's all? Way to go with thanking me for saving your ass from that stupid coffee you were drinking."  
"I haven't had the coffee yet, Karkat. It still can be shit."  
He gives you an annoyed look and walks over to the bar. You both order your coffees and wait for the barista to prepare them. When he's done you grab your cups, pay, and head out of the cafe. "Man, I wish I could just stay there and read," You hear Karkat mutter. "But no, I have to have fucking work to do! Because fuck me!"  
You laugh a little and sip from your cup. "Oh my fucking god, Karkat." You whisper. "This is fucking amazing." You say as you empty your cup in one row. You are really glad you bought an ice coffee unlike Karkat because your mouth wouldn't survive your recklessness otherwise.  
"I told you it will set you off your damn feet, Egbert. And you know what? I'll drop over for the notes. I don't feel like going home yet and even though I have a lot of work, a little of it is for tomorrow."  
"Not fair."  
"Hahahaha, yeah, sure. I'm still pretty sure I have more work to do than you."  
You eye him down and make a grimace. "Shut up." You say. "Do you think I'm taking too many subjects?" You ask. "You for sure are."  
"That doesn't mean I don't like them."  
"Yeah...I'm actually thinking of maybe coming there to study." You say. "To the cafe, I mean. That is if I ever find it again."  
"Yeah, yeah. You are so fucking amazed by that place that you won't be able to resist it, right?"  
You laugh and decide on letting Karkat ramble on your way home.  
When you get there, you unlock the door, open them for Karkat and again bow a little. "Ladies first." You say, making the same joke once more.  
"Fuck off, okay?" He growls at you. He's been to your place before so he knows his way around. He takes his shoes off and heads upstairs to your room. You follow him, grinning to yourself. When you get to your room he drops his bag on the floor and lays on your bed, face down. You don't bother closing the door behind you since your dad isn't home yet and probably won't be any time soon. "Why can't it be winter break already?" You hear Karkat mumble into your pillow. You shrug even though he can't see the gesture and head over to your table. You set your bag down, dropping your hoodie on your chair. You push away couple of notebooks, looking for the one labeled 'chemistry' but with no luck so far. You open a drawer and after a little search you find it there. You grab the notes, grin to yourself again and throw them at Karkat. He twitches in surprise as he didn't expect a notebook landing on his back any time soon, making you laugh as you sit down on your chair. You find your list of stuff you need to do and write down what has been added today. You have a bunch of homework to do and a biology test to study for.  
"You can hang out around here as long as you'll let me study, okay?" You tell Karkat as you get up and start changing into sweatpants and a different shirt. You hear him say something in response but it gets lost in the pillow

Karkat actually stays over and studies with you. You expected him to go home after like half an hour but he just took out his homework and started studying.  
You flip a page in your biology notes and hear Karkat pick up a different notebook. You look up and see that he grabbed the chemistry notes you lent him and is now currently reading those. You look back down and start reading again when you hear the front door open, indicating that your dad's home. You furrow your brows in confusion. Your dad comes home around six or seven. Sometimes even later. You take a glimpse at your clock and realize why he's home already. It's half past seven. Both you and Karkat got so lost in studying that you lost track of time. "Uh....Karkat?" You start, getting his attention. He finishes a sentence and looks up to meet your gaze. "It's half past seven already. Do you wanna stay for dinner?"  
He blinks in confusion and looks at the clock. "Huh....sure." He says and keeps his eyes at you for a moment before dropping his gaze onto the notes again. You hear your dad walk up the stairs and head to your room. "Hello boys." He says. "How's studying going?" He gestures towards the mess of workbooks on your table.  
"Hi dad. Eh...I still have a lot to do." You say. "Not all that for tomorrow but for the rest of the week." Karkat looks more satisfied though.  
"Hello Mr. Egbert. I'm almost done but I agree with John that we have a fuckton of shit to do. I managed to get things done for tomorrow and most of things for Thursday though."  
Your dad nods and then starts heading out of the room. Before he actually leaves he stops and turns back to face Karkat again. "Would you care to stay for dinner, Karkat?"  
"I'd love to. Thank you."  
"Okay, I'll call you boys when it's gonna be ready." He smiles and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.  
"I swear that that didn't feel like hours since we got here."  
"Mhmph." Karkat mumbles, still reading your notes. You can see that he wants to get be done with the studying so you leave him be and look into biology again. After realizing that you're reading the same fucking line for like the fifth time, you growl in annoyance and get up. Karkat looks at you and raises one eyebrow. "I'm gonna go help dad." You say and head to the door. You didn't hear Karkat say anything in response so you just walk out and down the stairs, heading for the kitchen. You see your dad over by the kitchen counter, chopping vegetables and humming a song you don't recognize. "Hi dad, do you need help with anything?" You ask leaning against the counter. "Sure son. Finish this while I start preparing the meat?" He asks and smiles. You nod and take the knife, doing as he asked you to.

After you're done cooking you run up the stairs to call on Karkat. "Karkat! Dinner's ready!" You shout and burst into your room.  
"Jegus fucking Christ, Egbert. You need to not drink that much coffee and actually sleep, you moron. You're still on the fucking caffeine." He says, an annoyed but worried expression on his face.  
You shake your head, laughing. "Nah, not true. Besides, I like coffee. I would drink it even if I got enough sleep."  
He sighs and closes the notebook you lent him. "Okay, fine. Do as you want, for all I care."

After dinner Karkat offers to help with the dishes but your dad politely refuses. "Thank you Karkat, but I can't let our guest do the dishes, can I."  
Karkat nods in understanding and glimpses at the clock while following you out of the kitchen. "I should head home." He says. "Yeah, it's pretty late."  
"It's like quarter past eight, Egbert."  
"You know what I mean. Plus I actually got my shit done already so I wanna get some actual fucking sleep," you look at him "you should too."  
"John, I can take care of myself and no you didn't get everything done. You're still on the caffeine and you have geography homework to do.  
"How the fuck do you even know that."  
"I was in the same room with you for the past hours and I'm not blind. You put one notebooks on one pile and other on the second one. Meaning you were dividing them between the ones you already studied and the ones you still have to study. The only things that stayed in the 'have to do' pile were biology and geography."  
You stare at him, your mouth hanging open. "Holy fuck."  
"Yeah yeah, be amazed by the fact I'm not fucking blind." He says and pushes your mouth close. "And stop staring at me, it's weird as fuck."  
"Uh....yeah, sorry."  
Karkat grabs his bag and turns to face you in your doorway for a moment. "I'll see you tomorrow then."  
"Yeah, see ya."


	4. Chapter 4

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 2:46 --

TG: hi john  
TG: i was planning on asking this earlier but i kind of forgot  
TG: so...i was thinking that if you rose and jade are going to have time we could meet during the winter break  
TG: since we havent really seen each other for a while and i guess the stupid spirit of christmas is all about bonding and shit  
TG: being with your closest people  
TG: thats how i got the idea  
TG: it would be nice to meet up after the year or two we havent seen each other  
TG: man has it really been that long already  
TG: egbert are you here  
TG: youre probably asleep arent ya  
TG: leaving your cool bro hanging like this  
TG: im disappointed  
TG: nah its fine  
TG: you need your beauty sleep  
TG: goodnight then i guess  
EB: dave do you have any fucking idea what time it is?  
TG: oh hi  
TG: something around three  
EB: exactly  
EB: why the fuck are you still awake  
TG: cuz nobodys stopping me  
EB: is your bro out of town again?  
TG: yeah  
EB: jegus  
TG: i know right  
EB: also  
EB: about what you suggested  
EB: that might be a really awesome thing to do  
EB: we havent seen each other for so long  
TG: egbert  
TG: you are going to the same school as harley  
TG: youre still better at it than me and rose  
EB: i know!  
EB: but that doesnt mean we get to hang out every day!  
TG: yeah yeah i know  
TG: okay well talk about this tomorrow  
TG: later today  
TG: whatever  
TG: you need your beauty sleep  
EB: oh shut up  
EB: but okay  
EB: ill pester you when ill have time, okay?  
TG: sure  
TG: say hi to harley for me  
EB: you can just text her yourself, you know  
EB: goodnight  
TG: night

\-- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 2:54 --

You close the app and look at the picture of you, Jade and your other internet friends on your background. You study it for a moment, remembering the time you met, almost two years ago. It only reminds you how much you miss them so you just lock your phone. You turn to lie on your back and drop the phone next to you. Jade was actually an internet friend of yours too before she moved to Washington four years ago. You really wish you could be attending one school with all of your friends. Or if you guys at least lived in the same city. The same state would be nice too. You sigh and cover your eyes with your forearm. You stay like that for couple of minutes trying to fall asleep again. You're slowly realizing that your sleepiness is long gone at this point. After couple more minutes you groan in frustration, turning to face your clock on the table and letting your arm drop next to you. You squint your eyes at the light and see that it's almost quarter part three. You let another frustrated groan escape your mouth and push yourself up. Your feet touch the soft carpet you have beside your bed and you stare blankly into space for a moment before standing up. You head to your window and push your curtains open. You open the window and lean out, taking a deep breath. It's cold outside, not enough to be uncomfortably cold but enough to send a slight chill down your spine. The sky is clear, not one cloud covering the stars. You see a car pass by, but other than that it's dead quiet. You push yourself away from the window, leaving it open and exiting your room. As you're walking toward the stairs you hear a light snore coming from your dad's room followed by an unsatisfied mumble. His door is lightly open and you carefully push it so you can enter. You can see your dad curled up in his bed, clenching onto his sheets, obviously having a bad dream. You hesitate but then head over to his bed and sit on it. You reach out and stroke your dad's hair while talking to him in a quiet, calming voice. After a moment you feel his body relaxing and his grip at the sheets unfolding. A small smile spreads on your lips and you cover him back up and quietly exit the room, closing the door behind you. You walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. You open a cabinet and take out a glass, then turn to the fridge for a box of milk. You consider heating the milk up but then just pour it cold into the glass. You put away the milk and sit down, enjoying the silence. You slowly sip from it, the milk being too cold for your liking but you're too lazy to go heat it up now.  
God, how much you wish you wouldn't have to go to school today. Or for the rest of the week. That you could just stay home and watch movies with your best bro. The only problem is that your best bro is living in Texas. You guess you could invite Karkat but you doubt he'll have time before autumn break. Or that you will. Which is actually this month. Realizing this, you quickly get up and run up the stairs, leaving the milk forgotten. You find your school calendar and find October in it. Your finger traces over the month finding a highlighted extended weekend labeled 'autumn break'. You quickly grab your phone and light the screen, your eyes finding the date. Today's the third of October. The break starts at twenty eighth. Meaning it's in like three weeks.  
You light up your phone again, this time unlocking it too, and open Pesterchum. 

\-- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 3:25 --

EB: dave  
EB: dave, are you still up  
EB: buddy i just had the best idea  
EB: if youre going to have time during the autumn break you could come over and we could hang out and watch movies all days  
EB: that is if there are still some available flights  
EB: or i could come over!  
EB: what do you think?  
EB: dave?  
TG: yeah yeah im here  
TG: i wasnt near my phone  
TG: and yes im still awake  
TG: and me watching movies with you?  
TG: no offense egbert but your taste in movies fucking sucks  
TG: if you were at least doing it for an ironic purpose  
EB: my taste in movies doesnt suck!  
TG: but no youre watching them because you actually like them  
TG: egbert have you actually ever acknowledged what the fuck you are watching  
TG: because seriously  
EB: yes dave i am fully aware of the movies i watch and i still love them!  
EB: and you cant change my mind!  
TG: jegus whatever  
TG: its too late to argue about your dumb movies  
TG: i wont change my opinion about those shits though  
TG: dont expect that  
EB: are you seriously not going to come just because of movies  
TG: listen to me  
TG: if you wouldnt have interrupted me i would say what i wanted to say and we wouldnt have this conversation  
EB: are you saying you dont want to talk to me? :(  
TG: jegus john  
TG: no  
TG: shut up  
TG: i was going to add after saying that im not watching movies with you for the whole day that besides that i really dont have a reason not to come  
EB: oh  
TG: i was also going to say that it would be really fucking cool to meet up  
EB: i know right!  
EB: im a genious!  
TG: hey hey hey  
TG: i came up with the idea of our whole group meeting  
TG: you just changed it to only me and you and put it on the autumn and not the winter break  
TG: so im taking the credit  
TG: but you should ask rose too  
TG: and jade  
TG: im pretty sure they would like to join the party  
EB: that sounds even better!  
EB: ill pester rose later today and i can ask jade about it in school  
EB: oh my god im so excited to see you guys!  
TG: chill down there egbert  
TG: we dont even know if i can get a ticket yet  
TG: better not get too excited because if i wont get the ticket youll be disappointed  
EB: yeah i know  
EB: i would just really like a movie day with my best friends  
EB: you cant say that wouldnt be amazing  
TG: a movie day  
TG: that sounds so weird  
TG: its like a movie night  
TG: but during the day  
TG: by the way  
EB: huh?  
TG: werent you saying youre going back to sleep?  
TG: what happened to that?  
EB: oh...yeah  
EB: i couldnt fall asleep  
TG: ow man  
TG: not cool  
EB: i know :(  
EB: im going to be so dead in school  
EB: i wish i were able to stay home today  
TG: if your dad wrote you a note you could  
EB: do you seriously think he would do that?  
TG: nah  
EB: see?  
EB: okay, im going to try and get at least some sleep  
TG: okay  
TG: goodnight again then  
EB: yeah  
EB: goodnight 

\-- ecotBiologist [EB] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 3:43 --

You sat down on your chair while texting with Dave. Now you get up, leaving your phone on the table. You close the window and hop back into your bed, wishing you won't stay up for long no more. It's pretty cold in your room since you left the window open for so long so you cover yourself up with your sheets. Soon after you lie down and close your eyes you drift away to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

You wake up to your alarm screaming like crazy. You reach out for your phone to shut it off but you can't find it anywhere on your nightstand. Annoyed that you can't just turn it off that simply, you open your eyes and push yourself up into a sitting position. You can see your phone is on your table and only just now you remember leaving it there. You reach for it, not exactly wanting to get up from bed and turn the alarm off. After your room falls back into peaceful silence, you fall back into your bed, leaving your feet touching the floor. After couple more minutes, and a long argument, you persuade yourself that you really can't skip school and finally get up. You pick up your glasses and slip them on your nose, making the world around you much clearer. You get dressed, pack your bag, and go downstairs to eat breakfast.   
For breakfast you make the simplest thing there is. You put cerial into a bowl, heat up milk and pour it on the cerial.   
After you finish eating, you take your bag and walk out the front door into the morning sun and head to school. 

This pretty much repeats for the next three weeks. You do your morning routine, go to school, after school you sometimes go grab coffee into the coffee shop Karkat showed you, you get home, study, and repeat. You talked with Rose and Dave in between the weeks. Dave was able to book a ticket for the extended weekend, Rose, however, wasn't so lucky. She promised to book one for winter break though. Jade said that she'll only have time to hang out the first day of the break, thanks to her being out of town for the rest of the days.   
Today is Thursday, the last day of school. Or more like autumn break since school ended like two hours ago. You are standing in front of Jade's room, waiting for her to get dressed. "Come ooooon Jaaaaade. We're gonna be late! It's five twenty six and Dave's plane is supposed to land around six!"  
"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" She says as she opens the door to her room.  
"We still have to get there, park the car and find out where Dave will be getting off."  
"Well, it technically is your fault that we may be late. I didn't know when exactly Dave's plane was landing! I though it was later!"  
"Okay, sure, whatever, let's go." You say, not exactly having time for arguing. You run down the stairs and out the front door with Jade following you like a shadow. You heard her yell that she's leaving and then slam the door behind her. You hop into your dad's car and start the engine. Short after that Jade joins you in the car and as soon as she closes the passenger door you drive off. She puts her backpack on the back seat and fastens her seatbelt. "Let's just hope we'll find a place to park quickly because we may not find him afterwards. He hasn't landed on this airport before so I don't want him getting lost."   
"John. Dave is older than you, I'm pretty sure that even if we were an hour late he would be fine. So please don't be stressed about this, okay? And seriously, what is the worst thing he could do? Rap you a song?"  
You laugh a little. "That was a sick burn, Jade. I'm just....really happy he's coming over again and I don't want to fuck this up. The last time he was over here was around the time you moved to Washington!"  
"I know John, but it's gonna be fine. Trust me." You could feel that she's looking at you so you gave her a quick look. She was giving you a reassuring smile.  
"Yeah....okay." You say and then, to get your mind off your possible late arrival, start discussing what movies you will watch when you get home. Jade brought a couple of hers and you agreed that you can watch them since she can only stay today and tomorrow. And because you're not a dick.  
When you get to the airport parking lot you immediately feel the color leaving your face. The parking lot is stuffed with cars and the electronic sign over the entrance is showing 'full' instead of the 'free' one you were hoping for. You take a look at the clock and can see that it's ten minutes til six.   
"Jade...how are we going to solve this? I can't just leave the car here. I have to go park it somewhere and this is the only parking lot for miles!"  
"I'll try to pester Dave and ask him to peak out of the building and tell us in what entrance he is and we can find him like that."  
"When his plane lands."  
"Yeah, when his plane lands."  
You stopped the car in front of one of the entrances and are currently waiting for it to be past six so Jade could pester Dave. You would do it yourself but your phone is long dead at this point.  
"Okay, go on, it's six o'five. He should have service at this point."  
"I'll give it a try."  
While Jade is trying to contact Dave you are nervously looking around, knowing that you may get a ticket at any time.   
You're trying to count all the red cars you can see to calm you down but so far it hasn't been working.   
That's the tenth one you can see...there's an eleventh.   
"E2." Jade suddenly says.  
"Huh?"  
"The entrance!"  
"Oh!"  
You start the engine again and head for the east part of the airport. You're not quite sure if you know for houndred percent where it is but you're pretty sure you'll be able to get there before Dave exists the building.   
"He still has to get his luggage, though."  
"So he's not going to be in front of the entrance under ten to twenty minutes."  
"Yup! But don't worry, John! It will go by fast!"  
"I really don't wanna get a ticket for parking on a spot which isn't made for cars."  
Jade laughs a little and then says. "That's silly! There are no cops around here and it's not like we have any other choice."  
"Yeah...I guess you're right." You take a left turn and get to the east part of the airport. You're going at snail's speed, not wanting to miss it.   
"Can you see the second entrance?" You ask.  
"Not yet, we've just passed the first one though. The second one should be somewhere here."  
You drive a little further when Jade suddenly screams. "THERE! There it is!"  
"Oh my fucking GOG, Jade! You scared the shit out of me! I'm driving a fucking car, you can't just suddenly scream!"  
"We're going at a snail's speed, John. It's not like you would've crashed it! But I guess I you're right. It was a mistake of me to do that. I'm sorry, I'm just too excited to see Dave after so long!"  
"I am too Jade...I am too."  
You pull the car in front of the door and tell Jade to ask Dave how he's doing.   
"He says that they landed early so he has his luggage already and is on his way out. I told him we are in a white Toyota right in front of the entrance and that he really can't miss us."  
"Okay."  
Short after that you see a tall blonde but really taned figure dragging a suitcase behind him. You've always wondered how the hell does a Texas guy like Dave have naturally blond hair. It's a rather interesting contrast with his dark skin but you've never really said anything out loud about it. Dave stops for a moment to look around but then spots your car and heads your way. You step out of the car to greet your friend and Jade does the same. "Dave!" She shouts and sprints towards him, pulling him into a tight hug. Dave laughs awkwardly, drops his suitcase and hugs her back. "It's so nice to see you after so long!" She continues.   
"I'm happy to see you too, Jade."  
You're surprised by how deeper Dave's voice got. It is true that you haven't seen each other in two years but you didn't expect it getting deeper.   
After Dave frees himself from Jade's crushing embrace he steps towards you and pulls you into a what he would call a 'bro hug'. "I've missed you, John." He says as he let's go. "Gog, you're so much taller than I remember you. Same goes for you, Harley. It's been so long since we've seen each other!"  
"Like you're the one to talk!"   
"You are even taller than he is!" Jade says.   
"It's such a shame Rose couldn't make it too." Dave says, his voice dropping a little.   
"Yeah, it would be so awesome if it were the four of us! She promised to book a ticket to Washington for winter break though." You say as you open the trunk of your dad's car and Dave puts his suitcase in. "We're meeting at your place for Christmas too, eh?"  
"That is the plan." You say as you get in the car and start the engine once more.  
"Okay guys, fill me in on everything I've missed." Dave requests, sitting in the back seat.  
"That's too hard to answer!" Jade protests.  
"Yeah, you haven't been here for years, Dave, you can't expect us to summarize our lives here! Plus we talk a lot through Pesterchum. You pretty much know what is going on!"  
"I meant what you did while I was on the plane and out of reach for both wifi and service but sure, you can fill me in on your exciting lives too. It's not like I don't know everything already."   
"Dave, you don't know every little detail of our lives! That's just not possible!" Jade says.   
"Oh, but what if it is? What if I have this super awesome thing that I put into both of your rooms when I was here four years ago and I can see everything that you're doing?"  
"That's just creepy..." You say and glimpse into the mirror to look at him. You think he's looking at you but you can't tell through his shades. His face is, as always, expressionless.   
"We mostly just discussed movies we could watch." Jade says as you look back at the road.  
"Fill me in on the secrets." Dave says.  
Your trip home again mostly consisted of you discussing movies you could watch. 

When you park the car in front of your house you can see Terezi knocking on your door, looking kind of annoyed. You look at Jade confused but she has the same expression on her face.   
"Who's the dude trying to get into your house?" Dave suddenly asks.   
"A friend of mine." You say while exiting the car. You close the door and start walking towards Terezi.  
"Uhh...hi." You start.  
"Oh, hello! I didn't smell you coming from that way-"  
"Smell..?"  
"Yes, smell. Is there something wrong with that?"  
"I...don't know."  
"See? Anyways, Karkles asked me to come get his notes back. Or more like. I need them now."  
"Karkles?"  
"Yes, John, Karkles."  
"Why do you call Karkat Karkles? And how do you know where I live? And how the fuck would you even read my notes? No offense, but as far as I know, you're blind."  
"Yes, John, I am blind and I don't get offended by people stating the truth. And the fact that I can't see doesn't mean I don't have my own techniques of reading."  
"You've answered one of my three questions."  
"I know." She says and then she smells the air..? "I can smell that there's more of you. Why don't you introduce me to your friends?"  
"Uh..." You start, turning to face your friends. Dave has his suitcase in his hand and Jade has her backpack on one of her shoulders.   
"Such lousy manners." Terezi suddenly says, pushes you away and sticks her hand out towards Dave.   
"Terezi. Nice to meet you."   
"Sup." Dave says and shakes her hand. Terezi then turns towards Jade.   
"Hmmm....you smell familiar. Do I know you?"  
"We've met each other in the hallway once."  
"Oh, yes. What was your name once again?"  
"Jade."  
"Nice to meet you, Jade."  
"I don't actually know what you look like." She says as she turns back to you. "Would you mind me licking you?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"I asked you if I can lick you to see what you look like."  
"Uh...I'll go get you the notes." You glimpse at your friends. Dave has both of his eyebrows raised and is probably looking at you. Jade has a confused expression stamped on her face.  
"I'll....be right back." You say and slip into the house. You close the door and shake your head. Karkat was right, Terezi sure is a weirdo.

When you open the front door again you're greeted with Terezi's unique voice.   
"Thank you." She says and takes the notebook from your hands.  
"You know, you could've at least invited your guests inside. But don't worry, I'll be leaving now. I can see that I'm not welcomed here." She says and starts walking away. Before she walks too far she turns back and waves at you.  
"John, dude, your friend is fucking weird."  
"You've never told me you're friends with Terezi!"  
"Yeah...like..we aren't actually friends friends. Karkat introduces us once, that's all." You say, opening the front door once more.  
"It would be weird if he introduced you twice." Dave says, dragging his suitcase in.  
"Oh, shut up."

"Wow, Egbert, I didn't believe that you could stuff more posters on those walls but apparently I was wrong." Dave laughs as he enters your room. "Like seriously, I can't even see the color anymore. What color was your room again?"  
"You know what color my walls are, Dave. You can still see the blue through the posters. By the way, do you want pizza for dinner? Or do you want me to cook something."  
"Pizza's fine with me." Dave says and throws himself on your bed. "Gog, I haven't lied on a bed for years!"  
"You've been on a plane for three hours, Dave." Jade says.   
"Yeah, you can be happy you weren't flying early in the morning. You know how painful that is?"  
"I do, I had to come pick you up. Remember?"  
"Dave...I had to be at the airport at least an hour before we were taking off. Meaning I had to be there at five. Meaning I had to get up at four. Are you really complaining that you had to go pick me up at nine?!"  
"Yes. That's really fucking early for me."  
"You go to school. When do you get up then? At lunch?"  
"No, I get up at seven like every other person. That doesn't mean it's not early for me though."  
"Come on guys! Don't argue! We came here to have fun, not spend the night arguing about who had to get up earlier!"  
"Jade's right." You say.  
"I still had it worse."  
"Whatever, I'll go order the pizza."


	6. Chapter 6

The doorbell rings and you sigh in relief. "Finally! I thought I will starve to death before the pizza gets here." You say and jump up from the sofa on which you were sitting, alongside with your friends. After you've ordered the pizza you've put in a movie so you'll be able to watch as many of them as you can. You're an hour in on the first movie and all of you are starving. You grab your wallet that you brought downstairs into the living room so you wouldn't have to let the delivery guy wait, even though he let you wait way longer, and head for the door. You, as the host, insisted on paying for the food even though neither of your friends were happy about that. You open the door and see a young man standing there, an annoyed expression on his face. He shoves the pizza into your hands and looks at the bill. "That will be thirteen twenty." He says and places the bill on top of all the pizzas in your hands.  
"A moment." You tell him and turn inside. "Dave! Come get the pizza!"  
You hear a quiet complaining but short after that Dave appears behind you. "Couldn't have Jade done it?"  
"You could've asked her."  
"You asked me."  
"Just shut up and take the pizza." You say as you shove the boxes into his hands, take out a twenty dollar bill and hand it to the delivery guy. He furrows his brows, not happy that you didn't give him the exact price, but takes it and starts taking out your change. He hands you the money, mumbles a bye and quickly walks away.   
"The guy sure was pleasant." Dave says, still standing behind you.   
"Yeah, at least we have the food though."  
"Food over bad mood, I say."   
You grin and step inside, closing the door behind you. Dave heads back into the living room, puts the pizza down and throws himself back on the sofa. You, however, continue walking further, towards the kitchen. "I'll grab plates and something to drink." You say. "Everyone's fine with Fanta?"  
"No apple juice for your best bro?"  
"No Dave, we don't have apple juice."  
"Pffff, fine. Not like I mind that you aren't thinking of this really awesome dude here."  
You just shake your head and walk towards the fridge, taking out a two liter Fanta. You grab three plates and three cups and head back. You can see that Dave's already started eating, not bothering to wait for a plate, his eyes glued on the screen as he eats. "That hungry?" You laugh.   
"Shut up Egbert, I haven't eaten since I left Texas."  
You hand him a plate and wanted to put the rest of them down but you have both of your hands occupied and a big bottle under your arm. "Um...Jade? Can I get some help?" You laugh awkwardly as she takes the cups and the Fanta from you and places them on the table. "Thanks." You mumble and sit down. You take one of the plates and tear off a slice of pizza, resting your back against the sofa. This is going to be an amazing night. 

You open your eyes and instantly notice that something's wrong. You are surrounded by darkness and your feet aren't touching the ground. You wave your arms around you, trying to touch at least something but with no success. You are wearing blue....you don't really how to call it. Pajamas maybe? And they have this really loooong hood.  
"John!" You hear someone yell your name. Unfortunately, you can't see them anywhere nor recognize their voice. The voice is quite far away but getting closer.   
"John! Can you hear me? JOHN?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" The voice is for some reason familiar but you've never heard it before. They sound really distressed.   
"Can you see him? I can't find him!"  
"I don't know, we may have lost him."   
Was that Dave..?  
"You can't give up on your friend like that! YOU'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR SO LONG. YOU'VE BEEN TOGETHER THROUGH SO MUCH."  
"Roxy, calm down. I'm sure he'll be fine. You know how strong he is. He wouldn't let anyone touch him. He will reappear in no time."  
"I'm still so worried. One moment he was here and the other he just disappears? Just like that? Into thin air?!"  
"He is the Heir of Breath. He can do that."  
"I know! But he always says when he's leaving!"  
"Dave..?" You ask, your voice barely above whisper. "Dave is that you?" You say, a little louder this time.   
"Did you hear that?" Roxy says.   
"JOHN?!" Dave yells, probably trying to locate you.   
"DAVE!" You shout. The darkness around you starts slowly disappearing, replaced with white fluffy things and a blinding light. When everything clears you can see that you are up in the sky, surrounded by clouds. A light breeze throws your hood from your head and plays with it, making it fly around you. You look around and then you spot them. One familiar and one unfamiliar figure. Dave looks about the same, he just has this weird red outfit on. The girl, probably Roxy, has a dark blue one on. The girl's face lights up and she starts flying towards you, faster than you would like. "JOHN!" She screams. She crashes into you, her arms wrapping around you. "I was so wo-"

You wake up with a twitch. You blink a couple of times, focusing your eyes. Your head is resting on Dave's shoulder and you are clinging onto his arm. You quickly let go and notice the weight in your lap. When you look down you can see that Jade had fallen there and is peacefully sleeping. You yawn and gently pick her up and get up from the sofa. You run a hand through your probably messy hair and straighten your glasses on your nose. That sure was one weird dream. You've never seen that girl. Or those pajamas. So how was your mind able to make that into a dream? That is the question for million dollars.   
You notice that the television is still running so you take the remote and turn it off. You've stayed up quite late and fallen asleep while watching one of the movies. If your dad were home he really wouldn't be proud.   
You look at the mess from the pizza and chips that you guys have made but then head for the bathroom, deciding on clearing it later. You look at yourself in the mirror and rest your hands on either side of the sink. The circles under your eyes look darker and your hair is standing in every direction, as you predicted. You try to tame it with your hand but with no success. You shouldn't have stayed up this late. You were already kind of tired when Dave got here and you stayed up til when? Five in the morning? That brings up a different question. What time is it actually? Since you don't have clocks in your bathroom it will have to wait. You turn the water on in the sink and let cold water run for a moment before you splash some on your face. It wakes you up a little but not enough. Deciding on that you really need a shower, you lock the door to the bathroom, get undressed and get into the shower. You turn the water on, adjusting the heat to neither too hot or too cold. At first, the water is a little too cold but then it warms up to a perfect temperature. You relax as the water runs down your face and your body. You grope around the shower, trying to find a shampoo. After a moment of searching your hand lands on the right bottle and you pick it up, pouring the liquid in it on your hand and then rubbing it into your hair. Your mind wanders again to the dream you had. You really are curious about what it can mean. 

After you get out of the shower you realize that you didn't bring any spare clothes with you. You sigh, accepting the situation and after you dry off and slip your glasses back on your nose you wrap the towel around your waist and exit the room. You can see that both Jade and Dave are still fast asleep, Dave actually snoring a little. You head upstairs to your room to get dressed. When you get there, you find a shirt and underwear but you don't seem to have such luck in finding your sweatpants. After a moment of searching, you find them all the way on the end of the wardrobe. You slip into the clothes and head back downstairs. When you get into the kitchen you remember you wanted to know the time and glimpse at the clock. It's almost one pm.   
You take out a mug and put it in the coffee machine, making yourself a morning starter. Or more like a lunch starter at this point. You don't really feel like eating, your stomach not feeling the best, so you don't bother with breakfast. The machine beeps so you take your mug and turn it off. You put the mug on the table and head to the living room for your phone to play on.   
When you get back, you sit on one of the chairs and finally get a big sip of the coffee. You instantly regret your decision. If you thought your stomach won't handle food why would it handle coffee? You gag and put a hand on your stomach, dropping the phone on the table. You feel like you're actually going to vomit but then the feeling loosens. When your stomach calms down completely you go and pour the coffee into the sink. You turn around and you can see Jade walking towards the kitchen, still looking half-asleep. "G'morning." She mumbles.   
"Morning."  
"You look sick, are you fine?"  
"No, not really. I'm exhausted and I feel sick from my stomach."  
A worried expression forms on her face so you continue, trying to calm her down. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I can't let something like this ruin our movie meet up!"  
"Don't push yourself if you're not feeling like it, John. I don't want you collapsing."  
"I'm going to be fine, Jade. Don't worry."  
"...okay."  
"What I want to talk about, however, is...I had the weirdest dream tonight." You say as you sit down, Jade sitting next to you.  
"I was in this weird pajamas and at the beginning, I was in total darkness but then it cleared and I was in the sky, surrounded by clouds. And I was flying! Oh and there was Dave too...and this one girl which I've never met before but she seemed to know me." You look at Jade, who's watching you, listening patiently.   
"And they had those pajamas too. But really different ones. I had this blue short-sleeved ones with a really long hood. Like really fucking long. Dave had these red ones with a heavy cape and the girl had dark blue ones on. And they were also flying...and Dave called me an heir of....breath? I think...I'm not sure. It was really fucking weird."  
"You have a really wild imagination, John! I have to admit that." She says and laughs a little. "Flying... how did that feel?"  
"Really cool actually. The wind was really amazing and it also kind of felt like I had control over it."  
"How do you mean that?"  
"Like...it felt as if I could order it to do whatever I wanted to and it would listen. I felt really comfortable up there, surrounded by it."  
"That is really interesting."  
"I know, right? However, I don't remember any more of the dream. I wish I did though."  
"I do too! I really want to know more about it now! It sounds really interesting!"  
Yeah...will you eat something?"  
"Yup, I will. Don't worry, I'll do it myself. You stay put since you aren't feeling well."  
"Yes, mom."  
She makes a grimace and opens the fridge. She decided on making eggs with bacon, and tea, which she offered to you too and you gladly accepted it. Tea should fit better on your stomach than coffee. She asks you which movie you liked the best so far and you get into a discussion over it while she eats her food.   
"Dave must've been really tired." You say. "It's past two already and he's still asleep."  
"Poor guy. The flight must've really exhausted him. Plus our long night watching movies."  
"Yeah."  
"I'll go take a shower. Can you borrow me a towel?"  
"Sure thing. Follow me." You say and head upstairs to your dad's room where you keep the spare towels. You hand Jade one. "You know where the bathroom is and how it works."  
She nods and heads for the bathroom. You go to your room and throw yourself on the bed, closing your eyes after a moment. 

You must've fallen asleep because when you open your eyes again you can't hear the water running anymore, meaning Jade has already taken a shower. You push yourself up and head downstairs to see if Dave's already up. You pass a clock on the way and see that it's quarter to three.   
Dave's sitting on the sofa, a steaming mug in his hands and he looks like he's thinking. "I can't believe this. Our sleeping beauty is alive!"  
He looks at you but doesn't say anything.  
"What are you drinking?" You ask as you sit down next to him.   
"Hot cocoa."  
You laugh a little. "Wouldn't say that you're the type of guy who drinks cocoa after he wakes up."  
"I don't. I just felt like it."  
"Did you eat?"  
"No."  
"Do you want to eat?"  
"....no."  
"Okay."  
"Jade said you were feeling sick earlier but you don't look so sick to me."  
"Yeah, I'm way better, thanks."  
"Better call Jade then, she went out to buy you something for the stomach."  
"Wait, seriously?! She didn't need to do that!"  
"I know, she wanted to." He says and sips from the mug.  
There's a momentary silence between you two before Dave continues. "You know why she does that, right?"  
"What do you mean?"  
Dave pushes his sunglasses higher on his nose. "You really can't see it, can you?"  
"I am so confused right now."  
"She was right, you can't see either of her hints."  
"What hints?!"  
"Let's drop this, I'm not the one to tell you."  
That made you angry. He brings up a topic and then doesn't tell you what he's talking about. Just talks as if you were supposed to know what the fuck is going on.  
"Whatever."  
"I'll call her that you're fine and that she can come back."  
"Can you ask her to drop by in Bean Around The World and buy me my usual?"  
"What."  
"That's a cafe. A really good one actually."  
"Bean Around The World." Dave laughs. "What a perfect name."  
You grin a little and as your stomach growls, you say. "I'll go make something to eat."

You ate a yogurt in the end, becuase you couldn't come up with anything you could make, and thought about what Dave told you. What hints were you missing? You go over the past months, trying to remember as much as you can, looking for something unusual, out of place. It could've been good ten minutes of thinking and only now you are maybe getting on something. You really doubt that that's actually the thing he was talking about but you have to at least make sure that you really are wrong. You get up and walk to the living room, only to find out that Dave's not there anymore. You call his name but with no response. You walk upstairs and after minutes of searching you find Dave sitting on your bed, your computer in his lap and his headphones plugged in. You wave a hand in what you are pretty sure is the zone of sight. He looks up, pauses whatever he's watching and takes his headphones off. "Yes?"  
"Dave...I.. I though about what you said and I have a guess on what you were trying to say but if it's not that this is going to sound really strange and I actually think it's not true but I just want to be sure but," You pause for a moment, collecting yourself and repeating in your mind that you can do this. "is Jade in love with me?"  
He looks at you for a moment, disbelief in his eyes, and you start to wonder if you really have it all wrong. "I can't believe it took you this long to figure out."  
"She is?!"  
"Yes John, she'd liked you for over the past year."  
"Wait, are you serious? Like deadly serious?"  
"Yes."  
"So she's liked me but have never told me?"  
"You didn't seem like you were interested in that kind of relationship with her and she didn't want to make that a reality."  
You realize that that must feel horrible and your mood drops. "I feel bad now." You say, sitting down on your bed.   
"Don't be. It's not your fault. You could start dating her but you wouldn't be happy and you know she doesn't want that."  
"Yeah... I know but...I still don't want to hurt her. She's such a good friend of mine and I can't imagine losing her..."  
Just as Dave's about to say something, you hear the front door open and you look at him. "Did she take my keys?"   
"Yeah.... She didn't wanna wake you up in case you were still sleeping."  
"Oh.... okay. I'll go say hi and grab my coffee. Can we continue this later?"  
"Sure thing."  
You thank him and head downstairs, Dave, however, not following you.   
"Hi." You greet her, still walking down the staircase.   
"Hi, how are you feeling?"  
"Way better. You didn't have to go buy the pills for me, I hope you know that."  
"I wanted to."  
"I know... Thanks for the coffee." You say as she's handing you the cup.   
"This one girl was asking about you."  
That leaves you shocked. "What?"  
"This one girl with black hair, blue eye shadow, and glasses. She had a spider shirt on. I'm guessing she likes spiders?"  
You remember seeing a girl like that in the shop but you've never talked to her.   
"Oh...I think I know who you mean."  
"What's her name?"  
"I...don't know. We've never talked."  
"How does she know you then?"  
"I've seen her a lot of times in the shop."  
"That makes sense actually. It would be weird if you hadn't seen her since she works there."  
"She...doesn't."  
Jade furrows her brows. "What do you mean? She was clearly in a uniform and working."  
"I've never seen her work there and I visit almost every day! She is just a regular customer like me."  
"Maybe she got hired."  
"Yeah...maybe. I actually wanted to start talking with her but I've never gotten a chance. Or ask if they were hiring. Or both."  
"I am actually surprised that your wallet is still handling all the money loss from all the coffee you buy."  
You laugh a little and then she continues. "And about the girl...Why not just come up to her and start a conversation? You don't need to wait to be in the perfect situation with the perfect lightning and the perfect makeup on."  
"I know....I just don't want to seem weird."  
"You wouldn't. Plus you can't know that unless you give it a try."  
"I guess you're right. As always." You grin and sip from the coffee, happy that this time your stomach was able to handle it.


	7. Chapter 7

"So what is the moral of the situation?" Jade asks, leaned against the kitchen counter, her eyes fixed at you.  
"I shouldn't eat so much pizza in such a short time."  
"And?"  
"And I shouldn't stay up so long when I'm lacking sleep."  
"Good. Do you have any idea how worried you made me? And Dave?"  
"Dave didn't look worried...."  
"John."  
"Sorry." You squeeze the cup in your hands tighter. You're trying to act the same way as before but it's really hard. You're trying not to say anything that could hurt her or make her angry, even though you're already failing. Just knowing that her crush is one sided and that you will really hurt her when she decides to tell you is already as bad as it is.  
"Dude, you're still holding onto that cup?" Dave asks as he enters the kitchen.  
You look down at it, the coffee in it long absent. The cover is lighy brown with a logo of the company and it has your name written on it with a black marker.  
"Just fucking throw it out already, Jegus. You said yourself that you go there like every fucking day. Do you hold on to all their cups like that? Because if yes then I dunno man, I would tell Rose about it."  
"I'm fine, I just....I don't know..I want to hold onto it."  
"Is it giving you like fucking superpowers you ain't telling me about?"  
"Dave is kind of right, you should throw it out already. It's been empty for what? The past two hours?"  
"When you started making dinner."  
"Which is like two hours. Or three..?"  
"Just....I haven't been there in like a week and I miss the place. This is something that's giving me a clear picture of it."  
Both Jade and Dave stare at you like you're really going crazy. "You haven't seen me in years and you never hold onto my shit." Dave says. You stare at each other for couple more seconds before he moves towards you. "Okay, play time's over. You have to let go of your toy." He says and forcefully takes the cup out of your hands. "Dave!" You shriek. You reach after it but with no luck. Just then you glimpse something written at the bottom of the cup and reach for it again. "Dude, please, just two seconds. Then you can throw it out or burn it or whatever. Just give it to me for two seconds." He stops, the hand with the cup high in the air where you can't reach it and the other blocking you from getting closer to him. He looks at Jade and then lowers his hand, but before he hands you the cup he says. "Okay, but then you'll throw it out."  
"Okay, okay, just give it to me."  
He hands you the cup and you turn it upside down and look at the note that's written there. 

Are you coming back?  
-> arachnidsGrip ;;;;)

"What are you looking at?" Dave asks as he peeks over your shoulder. "Dude, you've never told me that you're a magnet for chicks." He says, laughing.  
"Shut up. I don't even know who that is."  
"But she clearly misses you."  
You peek at Jade but she doesn't seem to be listening to your conversation. "I might have a suspicion but I've never talked to her."  
"Then what are you waiting for! Fucking cameras and a dude to yell 'ACTION!' or what?"  
"No...I just..."  
"Just give me your phone."  
"Why?"  
"I'll text her if you don't have the balls to do it."  
"No!"  
"Then fucking man up and text her!"  
"Fine! But not now."  
"Then when? You're just gonna push it away and never do it."  
"Stop pushing me into this."  
"As your best friend, it's my duty to get you talking to this girl."  
"No, it's not."  
"Yes, it is."  
"Just....whatever. I'll do it after we eat. How's the food, Jade?"  
"Like twenty minutes."  
"Gog, I'm starving. What's for dinner?" Dave asks.  
"Lasagna."  
"Sounds good. I can see that we are having an Italian week."  
"I don't know if Italians would call American pizza a pizza but sure."  
"The idea of the food is still Italian." He says and then turns towards you. "The cup." He extends his arm towards you.  
"Wait." You say and copy the chumhandle into your phone and the hand it to him. He takes it and throws it into the bin from across the room.  
"Nice throw." You say.  
"Pffff, what else would you expect. The Strider can only have the best results."  
"If you could say the same about your grades..." Jade laughs.  
"You know what?" You say. "I'll go text her."  
"Dude, I told you you should text her. Just listen to me and you'll be fine."  
"I can't listen to you on everything. Some of your advices are pretty shit."  
"Excuse me? That's the high quiality Strider advices you are talking about right now."  
"No, they are not. Okay, I'm going to my room." You say. "No, don't give me that look. I'm leaving because I would be constantly joining your conversation and I can't do two things at once." You get up and head out of the kitchen.  
"I'm pretty sure he just wants privacy." You hear Dave say as you're almost at the stairs.  
When you get to your room you sit on your bed and rest your back against the wall. You unlock your phone and open Pesterchum. Your finger hesitates on the girl's name for a moment but then you click on it. 

\-- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering arachnidsGrip [AG] at 20:17 --

EB: hi!  
EB: i don't know when you'll be seeing this but...  
EB: i got your message!  
EB: hehe, that's how i got to your chumhandle in the first place  
EB: but to your question  
EB: yes, i will be going to the shop, i'm just trying not to waste all of my money there  
EB: i don't have a job yet and i don't want to waste all of my dad one's for coffee  
EB: even though it's definitely worth it  
AG: What a dedicated young man.  
AG: The name's John, right?  
EB: yeah  
EB: wait, how do you actually know my name? i don't think we've ever talked before  
AG: I asked the girl who came get you coffee so I could wr8te it on your cup.  
EB: you work at bean's?  
AG: Well, kind of.  
AG: I don't know if you can call it work.  
AG: It's more like hanging around and sometimes helping out those losers.  
EB: you help them out?  
EB: they let you do that?  
EB: and they don't even pay you? or do they..?  
EB: are you sure that's worth it?  
AG: No, they don't pay me.  
AG: 8ut it definitely is worth it.  
AG: Maaaaaaaan, they give me free coffee.  
AG: I'm telling you, it's amazing.  
EB: what?  
EB: seriously?! so not fair!  
EB: but won't they like miss it in the end?  
EB: since you didn't pay for it  
AG: Well, I don't know.  
AG: Not like it's my 8usiness.  
EB: but how do you get free coffee?  
EB: tell me your secrets :D  
AG: I know the owner.  
AG: He's an old friend of mine, I guess you can say.  
AG: You've may8e seen him. He's this somewhat tall dude which is always saying how strong he is.  
AG: And he 8r8ks anything he touches.  
EB: oh, i know who you're talking about!  
EB: i've only seen him once, though  
EB: i'm pretty surprised the shop hasn't gone broke from him breaking all the mugs  
AG: Hahahaha, I know, right?  
EB: anyway, since you know my name i guess it would be appropriate if i could ask you to tell me yours  
AG: Dude, you don't need to make the sentence extra serious.  
AG: Just ask me for my name like a normal human would ::::D.  
AG: It's Vriska.  
EB: what an interesting name!  
AG: Interesting in a good or 8ad way?  
EB: good, of course! i would never judge someone by their name!  
AG: Jegus, don't shit yourself.  
AG: Not like I would 8urn you for not liking my name.  
EB: :D  
EB: what's with all the 8's?  
AG: You pro8a8ly figured that I love spiders so I don't even know why you're asking.  
EB: spiders are gross  
AG: Well, fuck you.  
AG: No, they aren't.  
EB: hahaha, chill  
EB: can't a dude say his opinion?  
AG: No.  
AG: Definitely not if that dude doesn't like spiders >::::/  
EB: i can't believe you even type eight eyes for your emojis  
AG: How a8out you fuck off.  
AG: Another amazing idea would 8e if we weren't talking a8out me liking spiders and you thinking they are gross.  
EB: will you forever hate me for that?  
AG: Yes.  
EB: there isn't anything i could do to save my ass?  
AG: Well....if you'd care to listen to all of my orders I may consider it.  
EB: pffffff no way  
EB: i may listen to your advices but you won't be ordering this man around  
AG: That was a joke, John.  
EB: you still can't order me to do anything!  
AG: Oh, 8ut what if I tried ;;;;).  
EB: hahahaha, knock yourself out  
AG: Okay, John, I'll have to leave now. Come to the shop tomorrow.  
AG: That's an order.  
EB: hahaha, okay  
EB: i can listen to these kind of orders  
EB: see you tomorrow  
AG 8ye.

\-- arachnidsGrip [AG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 20:29 --

You're trying to suppress the smile that's forming on your lips but so far you're losing. You drop your phone next to you and think about the conversation that occurred between you two. You're realizing just how much you like this girl. Not only does she look hella cute but she has a great persona too. She looks like the type of person that can make you smile no matter what.  
"John!" You hear your name get yelled from downstairs. "Dinner!"  
"Coming!" You yell back and jump up from the bed.  
You take your time going to kitchen, not really wanting to get your mind off your chat with Vriska. Vriska...what a cool name. It really fits her looks.  
When you enter the kitchen you head straight for one of the chairs and sit on them. Shortly after that Dave appears next to you, throwing his arm around your shoulders. "You are grinning like a child who just got a new toy." He says, a sneaky smile on his face.  
"Oh no, don't try to hide it now. You've been spotted by the eagle eye. You aren't getting off now. So," he leans closer to you and lowers his voice. "how did it go?"  
"You're making too big of a deal out of it.."  
"John."  
"And you said it as if we just had sex."  
"You're blushing."  
"No, I'm not!" You are actually pretty sure he said that just to set you off but you still hide your face. "I really like her. She's really cute and her persona is....admirable. She really loves spiders."  
"Interesting." Dave says and pretends to write something down. "Stop your Rose interpretation. She also asked me to drop by the cafe tomorrow."  
"Mr. Egbert. You, my friend, can not fuck this up."  
"I won't!"  
Jade puts a plate in front of you and Dave and then turns to take one for herself.  
"You know, we could've just took it ourselves, but thanks mom." Dave comments on her act.  
Jade, however, ignores it, and you mostly eat in silence. 

After dinner Jade packs her things and is ready to leave. You really wish she could stay longer but she had her trip planned before you brought up your movie meetup.  
"It's such a shame you can't stay longer." You say, standing in front of the main door, Jade's back resting against it.  
"Yeah, me too. I promise I'll stay over longer for Christmas, okay?"  
You give her a smile. "That would be amazing."  
"Say hi to your dad for me when he comes back, okay?"  
"Sure. If you forget anything I'll bring it to you in school."  
"Guys, you are saying this as if she was leaving for ten years." Dave, who've been there with you, says.  
"Give me a hug, Dave. I don't know when I'll be seeing you so I guess I have the right to be dramatic!"  
He laughs and hugs her. "Yes but not with Egbert here. You'll see him next week."  
"I know. Okay, have to run now. Gotta pack for the trip and go sleep early so I won't be exhausted!"  
"Have fun, Jade."  
"Thanks. You too guys. I'll be seeing you later, John."  
You say a last bye and close the door behind her. "I guess it's just the two of us now, eh?" Dave says.  
"Yeah."  
"You up for a movie?"  
"Sure. Any in mind or we'll pick randomly?"  
Dave just shrugs.  
"Randomness it is then."

You end up watching one of your favorite Nic Cage movies. The bowl of popcorn is resting between you and even though you really want to concentrate on the movie your mind keeps slipping away.  
"Hey, are you listening to me?" Dave snaps his fingers in front of your face.  
"Huh...what?"  
"Thanks, mister sleeping beauty."  
"Sorry, what were you saying?"  
"I was asking how on Earth did you find this movie. It's so fucking weird."  
"I don't remember."  
He looks at you and then asks. "What's on your mind?"  
You heaistste for a moment but then answer. "Vriska."  
"And?"  
"...Jade."  
"Yeah, figured."  
"Like....I really like Vriska, from the one conversation we had, but Jade likes me and she's my best friend and I can't hurt her like that. If I somehow ended up dating Vriska then...I....I dunno. It would really hurt her."  
Dave turns the volume down a little so you could hear each other better. "Look. If you're always gonna do only the things that won't hurt Jade you may end up not doing anything in your life. I know how she feels way longer than you do and I'm still supporting you in getting to know Vriska. And what do you know? You may not end up dating her at all and you wouldn't hurt Jade."  
"I know but....if I mention her I will probably sound more interested in her than in Jade and that may hurt her."  
"John...bro...please. Just....you can't always think about how others feel. Do what you want to do. Meet with that girl, start hanging out, and you may or may not end up dating. You can't know how she feels about you. Even if she doesn't like you now she can like you later. So I say you should just give it a try."  
"You know that we are meeting tomorrow..."  
"See? That's a start. Also, if you wouldn't mind, this really cool dude would like to at least see this cute girl you are talking about."  
You laugh. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Dave. I guess not all of your advices are shit." You say and throw some popcorn into your mouth.  
"I told you my advices are fucking amazing." He grins.  
"How can you actually see with those shades on. We have a small lamp on and that's the only source of light besides the screen."  
"You get used to it."  
"You don't need to be ashamed of your eyes, you know that. Or at least not around me, Jade, or Rose."  
Dave's quiet for a moment, probably thinking about what to say. "I know but I still don't like them. What human has red eyes?"  
"You do. I think they are pretty cool, to be honest."  
"I could see that you were shocked when you saw them for the first time."  
"Who wouldn't be! It's not every day that you see someone with red eyes!"  
"I know. It's just....I am different and not all people like different. I don't always have the energy to deal with those kind of people. So I just wear shades and whenever someone asks me about them I can always just say that it's for irony. Which is also true."  
"They still look way better than your previous ones. I can't believe you actually wore those."  
He laughs. "Neither can I. For some fucking reason I thought they were cool. Maybe because bro has the same ones."  
"Could be."  
After couple more seconds of neither of you saying anything, you reach for the controler and adjust the volume so you can hear the movie better. 

You don't really talk throughout the movie, only Dave sometimes points out what he thinks is a mistake or when he needs to say his opinion on something.  
It's currently past eleven at night and you just finished the movie. "You up for another one or we done for tonight?"  
"Dude, you are going to bed for sure. Jade left and if you'll feel sick again I won't know what to do. How does one care for a sick human?"  
You laugh and nod, defeated. Dave disconnects the USB from the TV and turns it off.  
"You can sleep in my dad's room if you want to."  
"Aren't you by some chance gay for this really awesome dude?"  
"What? No. Fuck off. If you don't mind sleeping in one bed with me then fine. I just thought you are too cool for that."  
"Hahaha everyone is too cool for you, Egbert."  
"Daaaamn, that burn." You laugh.  
You head upstairs into your room, followed by Dave. "I'll go take a shower." He says.  
"You didn't have one in the morning?"  
"No."  
"Okay then."  
You once again appear to be in your dad's room landing one of your friends a towel. You hand it to him and take out a spare blanket and a pillow. You get to your room and start preparing the bed. Not long after that you can hear the water start running, shortly followed by Dave's singing. You snicker and a laugh escapes your throat as you finish the bed. "Beautiful." You say for yourself. You take your pajamas from your chair and change into them. You head for the bathroom and knock on the door. "Dave? I'll just grab my toothbrush and go brush my teeth downstairs."  
When you get no response, you knock harder. "Dave!"  
His singing suddenly disappears. "What?"  
"I want to take my toothbrush!"  
"Can't it wait?"  
"It's gonna be two seconds!"  
"I have to get out first, you know? The door is locked. I'm too comfortable here, though."  
"Dave, just shut up and get out of the fucking shower."  
"Okay, fine, I'm going. Don't hurt your voice, old lady."  
You sigh but don't say anything else. The sound of water fades out and short after that you can hear the curtains open. A minute or two pass before the lock clicks and Dave opens the door. There's water dripping from his hair and running down his body. He only has a towel wrapped around his waist and his red eyes are looking at you, uncertain.  
"You could've at least dried yourself." You are actually a little surprised that you see him without his shades on.  
"Yes, and you would burn me the fuck alive. Then I would need no drying off."  
You grab your toothbrush and put some toothpaste on it.  
"I'll step outside so you can get dressed." You say as you are closing the door behind you. You start brushing your teeth and are waiting for Dave to get dressed. When he opens the door again his hair isn't dripping wet anymore but standing in every direction. You slip pass him to the sink. You clean your mouth and the brush from the toothpaste and dry yourself off.  
"I'm going to bed already. Just...come whenever you're done." You say. Dave doesn't say anything just nods a little. You head for your room, still a little concerned about him. He never lets anyone see him without his shades on. You don't think that he took your advice that seriously. You climb onto your bed and lie down on the part closer to the wall.  
Couple minutes later you can hear Dave turn the light off in the bathroom and your house falls into darkness. "You know, you could've at least turned the lamp on your bedside table on but okay." You hear him say.  
"Fine. Wait, I'll turn it on." You reach for the switch and the room gets illuminated by a yellowish light. Moments later he shows up in the door way and throws himself on the bed. "Oh, sweet bed. I love you bed, don't ever leave me." He says.  
"Dave, you're weird as fuck."  
"Like you're the one to speak." He reaches for the switch and the room falls back into darkness. "Good night." He says.  
"Night."


	8. Chapter 8

You wake up to the smell of something burning. That leaves you confused. Jade didn't leave the stove on, did she? No..... you would've notice earlier. You turn around to ask Dave about it but he isn't there. Well, that makes sense. He's probably cooking something. He must've been trying for some time since the smell managed to get all the way to your room. You sit up and reach for your glasses, slipping them on. You get up and follow the smell into the kitchen. You can see Dave in front of the stove, phone in his hand and he's scrolling through something. He has a bowl of dough on the kitchen counter accompanied with a plate of burned pancakes and a pan with couple of them still cooking.  
"Dave?"  
He looks up, his shades back on their place. "Hi. Any idea how to make pancakes?"  
You come closer to him and take control of the pan, turning the flame all the way down.  
"I actually do."  
"This recepi sucks. I was following it to the word and it still turned out shit."  
"Open a window, will you? And if you don't know that you have to make pancakes on small flame then it's only logical you burnt them." You take out a new plate and push the one with the burned ones away. You take the spatula that's resting on the plate with burned pancakes and flip the ones in the pan.  
"Look how I'm doing it. You need to have it on small flame so you will get the whole dough cooked but not the outer side burned. When you are flipping it you have to be careful not to get the dough fucking everywhere. And, another really important thing, keep your spatula clean. Otherwise you won't be able to pick the pancake up."  
Dave looks back on the screen and scrolls through the website up and down, trying to find something. "Why does it not say things like that in here?"  
"Maybe they are expecting you to already have the basics. You could've found a recepi which said on which flame you need to cook the pancakes. Or wait for me to wake up. That's also an option."  
"I am hungry."  
"I noticed. Get out some berries from the fridge and defrost them. Oh, and put maple syrup on it. And mix some cottage cheese with sugar. I'll finish these babies in the meantime. And please throw these burned ones out. And open the window?"  
"Whatever you ask for."  
You hear him open a window behind you and short after that you can smell the air getting filtered. With the burned pancakes gone, you now have more space to work on. From the dough left you managed to make eight pancakes.  
"Will four be enough for you?" You ask.  
"Dunno, maybe." He says as he's defrosting some berries on which he poured the syrup as you asked him to.  
"Did you mix the cottage cheese with the sugar as I told you to?"  
"Yes."  
You put the pancakes on the table, next to the bowl with the cheese.  
"I've never eaten pancakes like this." Dave says.  
"How do you eat them then?"  
"Mostly Nutella and maybe cream."  
"Seriously? This is way better than that."  
"Maybe, but you also get your monthly intake of sugar in one breakfast."  
"I can't deny that, but they are really good."  
When Dave's done with the berries you each decorate your pancakes the way you want them.  
You sit down and as you eat you discuss your plans for today. 

You end up on deciding that you will go out to the city since it looks like it's going to be pretty today. Hence you take a quick shower and get dressed. When you get downstairs, Dave is already waiting for you. You slip into your shoes and lock the door as you exit. "So a game shop first, right?"  
"Yes, I am running out of games so I want to get a new one."  
"Did drawing comics stop being a hobby for you?"  
"Nah. That isn't the only thing I do in my free time, Egbert. Also, if you'd really want I will let you buy that game for me as a gift for coming to visit."  
"You wish." You laugh.  
You kind of regret bringing Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff up because Dave doesn't shut up about it. He needs to fill you in on everything he has drawn, therefore boring you to death.

When you enter the shop Dave finally stops talking and looks around, clearly impressed. "I'll see you later." He says and disappears into the aisles. The store you took him into is the biggest gaming store in Washington so you'll have a fun time looking for him. You're just hoping he took his phone with him. You wander around the store, going through the games, sometimes picking up one or two that caught your eye.  
"Can I help you with something?" You hear someone ask.  
You turn around to face the person. The guy is about your height with those old school 3D glasses. "Uh...no, I'm just...uh, looking around."  
"I know. You've been wandering around for the past twenty minutes. If not more. Look man, if you want some tips on good games you should've asked as soon as you entered. The employees are working at a game store so they should know something about games."  
"No.....I'm good."  
"Just trust me." He says and starts dragging you behind him.  
"No, wait, I'm just uh, waiting for my friend to finish shopping."  
"I don't know about you, but I don't see anyone who looks like your friend around. You were with one small kid in the aisle. And something is telling that that fucker isn't your friend. Now shut up and let me help you."  
At this point you understand that there is no point in fighting back so you just let the guy pull you around. He stops in front of one aisle on the other side of the store and finally lets you go. "Here. The heaven for every gamer."  
"Wow, I've never even gotten to seen this part of the store. I guess I've always found what I wanted in the front and then just left."  
"Yes, and that's why your game library sucks. This is the good shit. The stuff that one should pay for. Not as much as we are asking but it's still worth it."  
You look at the prices and look at the guy in shock. "They are houndred and twenty dollars and up...."  
"I'll give you a discount."  
"Wait, you can do that?"  
"Not really. But does someone look like they have the balls to stop me?"  
"Uh....why would you even be giving me a discount? You don't even know me."  
"Because the games you were going through are extremely pathetic. As I said, you have no taste."  
"I still don't think I have extra three thousand dollars to waste here...."  
"That's why I'm giving you a discount. You know? The thing that lowers the price of the product by some percentage?"  
You look at him. "I know what a discount is."  
"Good, you know at least something."  
You spend about another fifty minutes discussing which game you should buy with this guy. You also found out that his name is Sollux and he actually knows Karkat. And a shit ton about computers and games.  
At this point you've actually let Dave slip your mind and you completely forgot you came here together. You end up picking a game for almost two hundred dollars but pay eighty for it. "Okay man, here you go. You picked wisely." Sollux grins at you. "I put a card with my chumhandle in it. After you start playing it let me know what you think. And if you'll need another tip just text me." He says and throws himself on the chair he has behind the counter. "Ah, I hate walking around this labyrinth."  
"You actually orientate pretty well."  
"Yes, but I've been working here for the past seven months."  
"Still impressive."  
"Anyway, didn't you say you came here with a friend?"  
"Oh yeah....fuck, where did that guy disappear off to?" You take out your phone and dial Dave's number. You're listening to it ringing for a while and just as you are about to give up he finally picks up.  
"Hello, and welcome to Striders office. How may I help you?"  
"Where the fuck are you."  
He laughs. "Heaven."  
"Dave, come to the counter, it's been two hours. You have to have at least something you want to buy."  
"Hahaha, if I got at least something? I've never held this many games in my arms in my life."  
"Do you even have money for it?"  
"Dude....who the fuck do you think you are talking to?"  
You sigh. "The ultra amazing Strider which has everything he could wish for,"  
"Exactly-"  
"Besides games and cooking skills."  
"Shut up. I'm coming."  
"Make it quick."  
"You've been here the past two hours too so shut up, okay? You aren't my mother."  
"Just come." You say and hang up.  
"Can you give me a bag for the game?" You ask Sollux.  
"Sure thing." He takes out one and throws it at the counter. You put your game in it and wait for Dave to come.  
Good ten minutes pass before he appears from one of the aisles, his arms stuffed with games. He dropps them on the counter and takes out his wallet. He checks how much money he has and then frowns. He checks his phone, probably wanting to know the state his credit card is in.  
"Can you tell me how much all of this costs?" He asks Sollux.  
"Are you planning on buying all of them or leaving three quarters for me to clean up after your sorry broken ass."  
"I don't know."  
"How much do you have?"  
"Two houndred."  
Sollux goes through the games, not even looking at their price. "Jesus, at least you have a good taste in games." Sollux says.  
"Huh?"  
"I've got dragged around the store and then put in front of a bunch of apparently amazing games to choose from because my taste in games sucks according to this guy." You explain.  
Dave leans closer to Sollux and says. "Don't ever watch a movie with him. Trust me, it's worse."  
"Hey you guys! I'm right here!"  
"We know, oh mister amazing." Dave grins. "So...how much for the games?"  
"Between two and three hundred. Leaning more to three."  
"Hmmm." He spreads out the games on the counter and makes two groups of them. "Now?" He point to the larger one.  
"Under two houndred."  
"Okay, good." I'm taking those then."  
"And as I predicted I will end up cleaning after your sorry ass."  
"Just ring me up. John will go return it."  
"Fuck no," you say. "I don't even know where you got it from."  
"Then, my dear dude, you will have to clean it yourself." Dave says as he turns to Sollux.  
"I noticed." He says as he pulls the games closer to him and start unchecking them.  
"That will be houndred and twenty dollars and thirty cents."  
"I'll pay with card. And get me a bag?"  
"You know, I though you'll be carrying those around in your hands like an idiot."  
Dave doesn't respond, just silently pays for it and takes his bag. You head out of the store and say bye to Sollux on your way out.  
"I don't know about you but I would go grab lunch." You say.  
"I so agree."  
"Are you up for sushi?"  
"When aren't I up for sushi?"  
"Good point. I think I know one on the way to the cafe so we could go there."  
"Oh hell yeah. You can act like you don't know me when we get to Bean's. I don't want to ruin your alone time."  
"Shut up before I strangle you."  
Dave laughs and doesn't even try to leave the subject. You pretty much get pushed around by him your whole way there, and the whole time you were eating. You don't actually mind all that much because you are laughing at his comments too. As you're leaving the sushi place and heading to the cafe you get an idea.  
"So, Dave. Since we're talking about me and Vriska..."  
"Oh, here he comes."  
"Do you have anyone special in you life? Anyone you like?" You say and wink at him.  
"No. I do not."  
"Hehe, is that really?"  
"Yes."  
"No pretty girls in Texas?"  
"Dude, there are pretty girls in Texas but I don't have a crush on any of them."  
"Any pretty girls in your school?"  
"John....why."  
"You got your chance to ask questions, now I get my chance."  
"Not fair."  
"What isn't fair? That I get to have the same right as you?"  
"No, that you get to ask me which girl I like. I know which girl you like, I'm just messing around with you."  
"But I want to know more about you amazing Texas life."  
"There is one word that will describe everything."  
"And that is?"  
"Heat. And a lot of it."  
"Well...it gets pretty hot here too."  
"Please John. Don't even try. Come for one summer to Texas and you'll think that Washington's summers are fine. Amazing temperature."  
"You want to bet?"  
"Sure. Why not. What are you betting?"  
You think for a minute and then respond. "My favorite Nic Cage movie."  
"Okay, I'm out already. I don't want your movies. The bet is over. I was right. You need to come over. Just then I can show you the oven in which I'm living-"  
"Dave, no."  
"Jeez, way to ruin the mood man. I was going to rap you some sick rhymes."  
"No, thank you."  
"I know you love them. You just don't want to start crying tears of joy."  
"Whatever. I don't wanna argue. The cafe's right there. RACE YOU TO THE DOOR!" You yell and start running. You have an advantage since you have a bag with only one game while Dave has like five of them. As you are getting closer to the door they suddenly open and a person steps out. That strikes you unprepared and with no time to react you end up crashing into them and both of you fall on the ground. "Oh man, I'm so sorry, I didn't know someone will be exiting the shop-" you say as you push yourself up. Realizing who you're lying on, your face turns all red. "Uh...I am so sorry." You get up and extend a hand towards her to help her get up. She takes it and you pull her up. "What a nice first impression, John," She says. "What do you have in the bag?"  
"Uh....a game."  
"Jegus, you're such a moron. Why were you running when you had a game you just bought? And then you crashed into me! Is it even still alive?" She says as she picks it up, takes it out of the bag and examines the CD inside of the cover. "It isn't broken, so that's an achievement. I don't know if it isn't scratched though."  
"I sure hope it isn't. I just spent eighty dollars on this. I hope it's okay."  
"Then don't run around with the stupid game and you won't waste eighty dollars."  
You turn around to look where Dave went because he should've reached you at this point. You look around and then spot him inside the cafe. He managed to slip by you and is now ordering coffee.  
"Ey, you listening to me?"  
You look back at Vriska, giving her your full attention. "Sorry, can you repeat that?"  
"Who are you looking for?"  
"Just a friend I came here with."  
"Well, I guess they don't feel important enough to stay so they tucked their tail between their legs and ran." She laughs.  
"I guess he just wanted to spare himself some awkwardness. Anyway, where were you going?"  
"Buy me some lunch."  
You hesitate but then ask. "Would you mind if I came along with you?"  
A smile spreads on her face. "That's a must."  
"Aye aye captain!" You salute.  
"I like that," she grins. "Anyway, did you eat already?"  
"Yeah, I just came from lunch with the friend I mentioned."  
"What did you get?"  
"Sushi."  
"Hmmmmm. Was it good?"  
"Yeah, I've known the place for some time and I really like their fish."  
"Can you take the food with you?"  
"I think so. I'm not sure though, never tried."  
"Okay, sushi it is then. Lead the way, coffee boy."  
You laugh and start retracing your steps followed by Vriska. "I guess that nickname suits me more than well."  
"Of course it does. Why else would I call you that?"  
"I really don't know," You laugh. "So...how long have you been working at the shop?"  
"I told you I aren't working there."  
"Well, your kind of working."  
"Past....two years, I think?"  
"That's quite some time."  
"Yeah..."  
"How do you actually know the owner if he's an old friend of yours? You're what, nineteen like me, aren't you?"  
"Eighteen actually. And his dad was the previous owner but he opened a different cafe and Equius took charge of this one. He already graduated so he didn't really have a reason to say no. It's funny how both of them are so interested in coffee."  
"'Equius is a strange name, don't you think?"  
"I know right?" She laughs. Oh god, how much do you love her laugh.  
"So...how is your day so far?"  
"Eh, quite good. I had to wake up early to open the shop with this other guy but other than that pretty chill. We had a morning rush, as always, and will have a lunch rush when people will need coffee to continue their day at work. I don't really like when it's stuffed there. Not only because there is like fucking fifty thousand people trying to buy themselves some caffeine but because they can get aggressive really fast."  
"Why so?"  
"Well....you can kinda figure out yourself. In the morning people don't want to be late for school or work. Or wherever the fuck they are going. So they will release their stress at you if you take too long. Same goes for lunch. They quickly need to grab something and return in time so nobody will kill them for being late. And since there's already a big line they will be really annoyed by the time you get to ask them what they want to order."  
"I guess most of the employees want to work the closing shift then, right?"  
"Yeah...but some people don't care. We have this one girl and she is like super good with these people. Like holy fucking shit. You would think she's from a different fucking world. She will just stay calm and try to calm down those angry fuckers. I don't have the nerves for them. That's why I always work the closing shift."  
"Why were you opening today then?"  
"Because this guy I'm working with is new and since I don't officially work there I have time to teach him while the other girl works."  
"But-"  
"And because nobody else was willing to go work that shift and teach that idiot even when I threatened them."  
"Wait, what?! You threaten people?!"  
"Don't sound so surprised. Does a girl like me look like she's made of cotton candy to you?"  
"I...have never experienced a different side of you than the nice one."  
She laughs and a smug grin forms on her lips. "You should pray for it to stay like that. Because if you get on my bad side I won't hesitate to fuck with you." She gives you a glance, her eyes sparkling, and speeds up her tempo, making you speed up too.  
"Hehe....yeah....don't do that please." You say when you catch up.  
"I can't promise anything." She gives you a smile. Not a nice one but the one that runs a chill down your spine.  
You try to strike up another conversation with her. Asking her about her job, just to not let an awkward silence fall between you two.  
You're almost in front of the shop when Vriska gets visibly annoyed of you asking questions. "Why are you the only one to keep asking meddlesome questions?"  
"I never told you you can't start asking me too..."  
"Very funny, now you try playing clever. Is that how you start friendships in your life? Because if so then it fucking sucks."  
"Sorry, you could've stopped me at any time. I wouldn't complain."  
"Just....whatever." She says and opens the door to the restaurant. There is a line of about five people waiting to buy something to eat but it looks like the queue is going quickly.  
"Any siblings?" She asks.  
"No, I'm the only kid."  
"Heh, you're lucky."  
"Why? How many do you have?"  
"One older sister. I really can't stand her, though. She never seems to shut up. Like fucking ever. You ask her something and she goes on and on and on until your ears fall off."  
"That must really suck..... that can't be all to her, is it?"  
"No. That's it." She says, shooting you a death glance.  
"Okay, okay, I believe you." You say, lifting up your arms in a giving up motion.  
"Trust me when I say that you don't want to meet her."  
You laugh. "I do."  
"How long have you actually been living in Washington? Have you ever moved?"  
"No, I've been here my whole life. I was born here and never moved elsewhere."  
"So you only stay in this city? Doesn't that get annoying?"  
"No, we go on vacations with dad and I sometimes go visit my friends in other states. But that doesn't happen all that often."  
"What about your mom?"  
Silence falls between you two for couple of seconds before Vriska continues. "Sensitive topic, I get it. So....how often do you meet with your friends?"  
You stay silent for a moment but then answer her question. "As I said, not very often. I haven't seen them for three years. I'm glad one of them managed to came over."  
"Wait... So your friend who you haven't seen for three years came over but you decided to hang out with me? What logic is that?"  
"I....don't actually know..."  
"You're weird," She laughs. "You can hang out with me at any time of the day, but you can't hang out with your friend all the time."  
"I know, but I guess he will understand when I tell him I went to buy lunch with you."  
"That's suck a lame excuse, you know? Also....why couldn't your other friend come?"  
"She didn't manage to get a flight."  
"Oh...that sucks."  
"Yeah....I really was looking forward to seeing her again."  
"At least one of your friends managed to get here, though."  
"I'm happy about that too."  
"So go hang out with your bro."  
"What? No. I went here with you and I will return with you. What kind of gentleman would I be if I left a lady for a friend of mine?"  
"Does this lady looks like she gives a shit? Go on. We will hang out later."  
"I will wait until you buy your food and I will walk you back to the shop. Dave is waiting there either way."  
"You are so weird, you know that?"  
"I am not weird, I'm merely just being nice."  
"Still....I don't get you. You ready for more questions?"  
"Oh gog..."  
"Which school are you attending?"  
"Why?"  
"You're not the one asking. Just answer it."  
"Theodore Roosevelt High School."  
"Hmmmm....that isn't that far away from mine."  
"Which do you attend?"  
"Parkmont. See? Another evidence that we can practically meet every day."  
"Am I supposed to take this as you not wanting me here?"  
"I don't know. Take it however you want. I don't care."  
"Hi, what can I get you?" The guy behind the cashier asks.  
Vriska shifts her attention from you to the cashier and orders her lunch. The guy packs her food and hands a bag to her. She pays and you head out of the restaurant and back to the cafe. On your way back you're both mostly quiet, sometimes saying something that has crossed your minds.  
When you arrive to the cafe you can see Dave sitting in a booth, a cup in front of him. He has earphones plugged in and is looking at his phone.  
"I'll order coffee and go to my friend over there." You gesture towards Dave.  
"Care to introduce us?"  
"I can. But first you'll make my coffee." You say jokingly.  
"Demanding, eh? I guess you'll have your usual."  
"Hmm...I'd like a change."  
"Like?" Vriska walks behind the bar and looks at you. "So? What will you get instead?"  
"A frappe maybe?"  
"I'll make you a special one. Autumn related." She says.  
"Hmmm....okay. I trust you that it will be the best coffee in this country."  
"Of course." You say and rest against the bar, watching her as she starts to prepare your coffee. When she's done and puts the mug in front of you, you take out your wallet and start pulling out your credit card when she stops you. "It's on the house." She says.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Hundred per cent." She smiles.  
"Wow...I...thanks."  
"Now, I hope you're gonna keep your promise."  
"Well, aren't you too excited to meet Dave?"  
"No. I aren't."  
You wave at Dave, trying to get his attention as you walk closer to him.  
"Sup Egbert." He says, taking his earphones out.  
"Hi, Dave. I wanted to introduce my friend here, Vriska," you step aside and gesture towards her. "She works here. Or more like semi works."  
"So like a brigade?"  
"You can call it that," Vriska says, extending her arm towards Dave. "Nice meeting you."  
"Like ways," Dave says as he stands up and shakes her hand. "Dave." He introduces himself.  
"What's with the shades? Is my beauty blinding you?"  
Dave laughs and ignores her second question, only responding to the first one. "It's for irony. You wouldn't understand it."  
"Oh wouldn't I?" Vriska asks, a sly grin catching her blue lips. Suddenly she jerks as someone calls her name. She turns to face them, an annoyed expression on her face. A tall guy with a scarf is walking towards her, a purple stripe in his hair. Vriska turns towards you, anger still in her eyes.  
"I'll see you later, okay? This is something I have to take care of myself."  
"Uh...yeah, sure. You're gonna be fine?"  
"Yeah. For sure."  
"Okay..."  
"Bye, John." And then she's gone, leaving you alone with Dave. "Move." You tell him and squeeze next to him.  
"Gog, can't you just sit on the other side?"  
"No, I wanna see what's going on."  
"I do too."  
Vriska's talking to the guy, both angrily gesturing something. However their anger isn't strong enough for them to yell and let everyone know what they are arguing about. That changes quickly, though. Vriska is suddenly absorbed with her anger. She pushes the guy away from her with such strength that loses balance and falls down, and she storms into the back of the cafe.  
The guy picks himself up and dusts down his cloak. He looks around, realizing that the whole cafe is watching him. "Uh....sorry about that. I hope I didn't ruin your mood. I will be leaving now." He says and with that he's gone.  
"Shit just got real." Dave says.  
"I've never seen her that angry. I wonder what provoked her so much."  
"Whatever it is, never do it. You will be killed. That girl isn't fucking around."  
You laugh awkwardly. "Yeah, I figured." You sip from your coffee. "Mmmmm this thing is so good."  
"They really have good coffee."  
"No kidding."  
"Also, Jade was right."  
"About?"  
"Vriska working here."  
"It's semi, as I said."  
"It still counts as working."  
"She doesn't get payed though."  
"Why?"  
"They give her free stuff as payment."  
"Whoa. Is she like the queen or what."  
"No, she just knows the owner."  
"Hmmmm....explains."  
"Yeah..." You sip from your mug again. "Which coffee did you get?"  
"I was talked into buying the latte macchiato. And oh man do in not regret this. It's really good."  
"Sounds cool. I may get it the next time I'll be here."  
"Yeah..."  
"Who are you texting?" You ask, just noticing that Dave's looking at his phone again and typing something.  
"Just Rose."  
"Does she have anything new?"  
"Nah, not really. She's asking if we could throw a call later though. As a replacement for her not being able to come."  
"Sounds like a plan. Ask her what time."  
Dave nods and there's silence between you two for a moment before Dave repeats Rose's answer. "Around seven is fine with her."


End file.
